Versatile Particles

10.1163/ej.9789004178274.i-490.105

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Chapter Summary

This chapter is devoted to a mixed bag of unstressed, uninflectable clitic particles representing various subtle pragmatic functions, and each of which may occur as a marker on a variety of different constituents, from verb to noun phrase to non-final clause. The lexeme thur 'one' has been discussed as having grammaticalised to an indefinite marker. Another versatile particle, ta, may have developed as a grammaticalised form of thur . The particle te is suspiciously similar to ta both in form and function. Rang is aptly described as an emphatic marker, yet its syntactic distribution is parallel to that of the hedge ta. The particle bu shows a similar syntactic distribution to ta and rang, however the meaning of bu is somewhat more specific. Another versatile particle sha, is translatable as 'only'.